Ichigo's Girls
by Kitahoshi
Summary: Inoue is acting strange lately, and Ishida is worried. rukiXichiXori, Ishihime R&R please!
1. Weak

It was quiet in the early morning. Inoue Orihime guessed it was about two or three in the morning. For some reason, she always thought of her brother at this time. About how he took such good care of her, and how the simplest things she said could upset him. When he came back as a hollow… he said her life was his. But Kurosaki-san had come to save her. Now, so early, when the sun was not up, she felt a pang in her chest. His name tended to that these days. Closing her eyes to let the tears fall, she attempted to turn onto her side.

'Ugh… honestly, Kurosaki-kun is too warm. I'll start to sweat soon,' she mused silently, searching with her hands in the darkness. Down her smooth shoulders, down her stomach to her full hips. Ah. There it was. A strong hand with strangely limp fingers rested over her hip, the skin contact was burning. Or so it felt to her. That's why she was on this side, held like a porcelain doll and not like a worn in teddy bear. Not like _her_.

She slowly, reluctantly, removed the curled fingers before making her escape before he could snatch her back. He had a terrible habit of that lately. It had taken her nearly fifteen minutes to get out of his possessive grip last time. She froze. He was saying something.

"Uh… Rukia…" He mumbled. The hand that previously held her captive closed in on itself. Orihime bit her lip to stop from making a sound as to keep them from waking up. It always felt like some strange sleep over, when she woke up. She still couldn't believe that the three of them all fit into Kurosaki-kun's bed.

She fished about in the darkness, finding her clothes with ease. They were always taken care of by Kuchiki-san. In the last two weeks, she had insisted it made more sense to fold her clothes up in a neat pile over here first so it would be less troublesome for Orihime to sort through his messy room all the time.

That was the thing about Kuchiki-san. She was so kind to Orihime, that she found herself hard pressed to dislike her. If anything, she _admired_ her classmate's friendliness and love. Kuchiki loved Kurosaki-kun so much; it almost baffled her to comprehend it- and this was Inoue Orihime, known for her insane musings. This is why Tatsuki brushed off her entire rambling, not hearing it. Her silent cry, behind a bright smile.

"_That's silly Orihime-chan, you can't date two people."_

"… _you're right, Tatsuki. How silly of me! I should stop watching so many dramas, I guess."_

Orihime, now fully clothed, wiped at her eyes. There were sounds in the kitchen. Peeking around the corner, she found the fridge open and a small pajama clad body investigating its' content. She approached silently, a small smile on her face. She rested a hand gently on the girl's shoulder, startling her.

"Yuzu-chan? You shouldn't eat in the middle of the night. My big brother told me once that it gives you funny dreams," She said, Ichigo's sister calming at her voice.

"Inoue-neesan? You're leaving?" Yuzu asked, seeing the bag in Orihime's unoccupied hand. She laughed at the small girl's inquiry, it was so cute. No wonder her own older brother had loved her so much, little sisters were just so adorable!

"Hn. I'm going home," She answered. The younger girl looked a little sad, causing Orihime to pat her head affectionately. "You should go to bed before your dad or brother catches you."

Orihime left, and didn't look back. She couldn't. The tears began again, and she let them fall. It was only when it began to rain very heavily that she let her cries. Because over the thunder of the late night shower, no one would be able to hear her. None, except of course for her fairies. Of course, she never saw them much anymore. She couldn't bear to face Tsubaki's wrath and hear him go on his tirade about her stupidity. It was her life, wasn't it? If she made stupid decisions, that was just her own business. He had no right to chew her out for it. Thinking of Tsubaki 'chewing her out' in his small form made her chuckle. The worst he could do was perhaps chewing her hair. But… he wouldn't eat it all, would he? Ichigo said he liked her long hair.

"Ah, Inoue-san!". Inoue blinked. Where was she? Looking up, she saw Ishida's worried face hovering in front of her.

"Ah… what seems to be the matter, Ishida-kun?" She asked, finally locating herself in the club meeting. Ishida looked unusually worried, like when they were fighting hollows and she didn't call out her fairies. She had a bad habit of this, speaking of bad habits. One minute it was the middle of the night and the next she was here, at school. Where did most of her days go?

"I-inoue-san…" Ishida was holding her wrist, a slight blush on his face though he seemed to be taking care as to make the contact minimal. What a strange person. Following his gaze, she saw why he was so worried. "You cut your-"

"Oh! The doll!" She cried, looking at the simple doll she had been making. She had been careless and cut her finger somehow while she was sewing and there was blood on her craft. She was making it for Yuzu too… "Uryuu, we have to go wash it under cold water right away or else it will stain!" Orihime stood, and ran towards the girl's bathroom, completely unaware of her slip up. The boy was frozen where she had left him, beet red. The embarrassment was a bit much for him to manage, so he fell into the chair in front of Inoue's desk. He glanced distractedly at the desk. There were many drops of blood, some dried. Just how many times had she pricked her finger without noticing?

Inoue emerged from the bathroom then, a great sadness on her features.

"Inoue?"

She looked up. It was Ichigo. He seemed to be looking at the doll. Yes, yes, she knew the material was ruined. Why did he have to draw attention to her failure? Clearly she had let some blood dry in it, and now she would have to start this piece all over again.

Suddenly he had her wrist, and jerked her forward to look at it better.

"You're bleeding."

"Huh?" She responded, looking down at her now exposed fingers. Her wrist hurt, but she wasn't going to say anything. He was always rather rough with everything. Well, almost everything. There was one person in the world he treated like glass, and she had seen it herself. She flexed her hand, his grip was rather tight. His skin was burning her again. Always burning. Tears pricked at her eyes, she couldn't help it.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, glancing up to her face again. She nodded meekly, unable to speak the true cause of her hurt. "You should go to the nurse's office."

Without a sound, without a sign the pressure on her wrist was gone. She opened her eyes, and found Ishida there. He shot Ichigo a rather displeased look, whole holding a small white box in one hand. Somehow, she hadn't noticed when he had taken her hand. It was gentle, almost like the fluttering of butterfly wings that were barely there. It didn't burn. His pale skin was cool tot the touch, but not so cold as to make her shiver. And before she had known what was happening, she found her fingers bandaged. Her skin wasn't burning, and she was relieved for a moment.

"Oi, Ishida, you're pretty good at that, aren't you?" Ichigo said thoughtfully. "Next time I get injured I'll call you first."

"Don't bother," Ishida responded, the shine of his glasses hiding his eyes. "That would be too troublesome."

Ichigo and Orihime watched Ishida return to the classroom in his usual stoic nature. Ichgo shrugged, he still couldn't get the guy to lighten up. But that was just Ishida's nature he supposed. He turned back to his female companion.

"Oi, Inoue. We should invite him over for dinner sometime; it might be why he's not used to talking to us outside of a hollow situation," He said, a slight smirk on his face. He meant it in the best way, then. That was the only time he tried smiling. "Oh, Yuzu told me she saw you leave last night. You know you can stay the night, you don't have to go. Karin and Yuzu missed you at breakfast. Rukia, too."

"Ah…," She responded, looking a little guilty. "Well, I woke up from this really funny dream about a duck fighting this troll and I just realized that I forgot to do some laundry at home." She laughed, it was partly true. She really _did_ have that dream. He shook his head to himself.

"So you'll be coming over again tonight, right? Yuzu loves having help making dinner," He said. It was obvious in the wording that he had already assumed she would be. Of course, she couldn't blame him for that assumption as she had been spending a lot of time there at first. But over the three or four weeks the entire fiasco started, she was there less and less.

"Ah, well, Kurosaki-kun… I love to cook with Yuzu however I still have a lot of laundry to do," She explained. It was a blatant lie. Kuchiki-san kept washing their clothes together to make full loads for the washing machine. Her clothes had never been so efficiently cleaned since her brother was alive. Sometimes she even threw in some of Kurosaki's clothes.

"Oh, well then tomorrow?" Ichigo said, caught off guard by that answer. Her smile was still plastered on her face as she continued trying to keep up this taxing conversation. She never wanted to go back. She wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and scream out every title of her favourite dramas until her throat hurt and she was too tired to be awake anymore. The feeling could have been compared to a severe depression and self-hatred had any of her feelings made any sense. She didn't even know that many dramas.

"There's lots of laundry. Mountains! With monkeys at the top, you don't want to steal the bananas though. Or else they'll get mad and throw dirty clothes at you," She said. She saw a look of dejectedness pass through his eyes which made her heart wrench. Oh, this was always how it was. She was sorry. If it hurt him that much… "But the day after tomorrow I will return with lots of clothes to wear!"

"Ah. Good, there was something Kuchiki and I wanted to discuss. See you later then," He said, walking away. He seemed so relieved that she wasn't avoiding him. That look in his eyes… the look of when he talked about his mother, it just made her so sad. She made her way back to the classroom.

She understood. She had known it two weeks earlier. She was cooking with Yuzu when it occurred to her. She reminded Kurosaki-kun, Karin and Yuzu of their mother, and so the family had warmly taken to her extended visits. As for Kuchiki… She understood this as well. She and Kurosaki were connected in some deep and fulfilling way. It gave her a security that let her love him enough to let her into their life together as a couple. She loved him so much… Orihime felt weak, but continued to walk to her desk. She was sorry. She was so sorry. She couldn't love Kurosaki-kun enough to share him. She just couldn't. Not when she knew it wasn't her he truly loved. One day he'd realize, and just forget her. It was inevitable.

"Inoue-san… you look pale," Ishida commented. Normally, Ishida didn't talk much. But the way Inoue had been walking as of late, as though Zaraki was somewhere fighting nearby and she was barely staying on her feet worried him. It worried her friends, too, he could tell. But at the moment, she was quite pale. She looked at him, her doe eyes seeming rather wary- it worried him more. "Inoue-san, are you alright?"

There were spots clouding Orihime's vision. White dots were dancing about, and she watched them with interest. She wondered what Ishida was thinking about. He looked so stricken, as though he was the one who wasn't well. Perhaps he had caught a cold.

"S-sorry," She said, finding it hard to think. She was sorry. She was very sorry. And then there was darkness.

**(A/N)**

I don't own Bleach. Complete Author's notes can be found at the end of chapter four as I just cut this up into chapters for reading comfort.


	2. Vacation

Ishida Uryuu was speechless, and temporarily frozen. Without warning, the red head had fainted. Right there in the empty classroom. The club had let out ten minutes earlier, about the time when he noticed she was bleeding. He caught hold of himself, and went to make sure she hadn't hit her head on the floor too hard.

When Orihime came to, she found worried faces swimming above her. They slowly came into focus. It was Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki and Yuzu. She looked at them thoughtfully, wondering if she had woken up in the wrong place again. Perhaps it was the day after tomorrow already?

"Inoue-neesan, we were all so worried about you. Nii-chan's friend brought you here saying you fainted," Yuzu explained, seeing her confusion. She blinked. Kurosaki-kun's friend…? Ah, Ishida-kun!

"Oh… is Ishida-kun alright?" She asked softly. She had meant to say it with her usual fervor but it seemed to not be coming out. She hoped to all heaven that the gods weren't punishing her for lying about the mountains of laundry and currently homeless mountain monkeys which could be playing on her shirts and skirts and pants and…

"Ishida! Is Ishida alright! You're the one who fainted, idiot!" Kurosaki snapped, before Kuchiki put a steadying hand on his shoulder. Orihime winced at the anger in his voice. She was sorry. She was _really_, really sorry. Couldn't she make him happy with just being sorry?

"He's here," Kuchiki said calmly. This piece of news brought an alien relief and slight happiness to her, making a smile break out on her face. She glanced away. "Oi! Quincy! Get over here."

"W-why?"

"Just do it, the patient is asking to see you! So stop sulking over there in the corner like some stranger."

Ishida appeared then, Yuzu and Karin moving away to give him space. He seemed reluctant to look at her, and a slight blush was in his cheeks. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw that burning hand clenching slightly. Was Kurosaki still angry with her?

"Ah, Inoue-san. How are you feeling now?" He said, set back in his toneless voice. The way he did this made her laugh a little bit. He seemed like a child visiting the hospital for the first time.

"I feel better now," She responded warmly. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Ah, Ishida, you live alone, don't you?" Rukia suddenly spoke. Ichigo glanced at her questioningly. Ishida nodded warily. "I have a favour to ask of you, if it isn't too much trouble." Ishida, as well as the rest of the people in the room were surprised by this.

"Well… what is this favour?" He asked cautiously. He sure as anything didn't want to be stuck bandaging Ichigo, the idiot who hurt himself on a constant basis. The work would be never ending.

"Please… could you look after Inoue for a few days?" She said, astonishing all who were present. "She lives alone, you see and we want to make sure she's resting." Ichigo looked rather scary.

"She could stay here, Rukia," He said, facing her. Of course, she wouldn't stand down against him. She wasn't weak. Ishida and Orihime watched dumbly as she responded.

"No, your father said she was stressed out so she needs to go somewhere quiet and rest for a few days! Ishida is quiet, and could very well make sure she doesn't try to over do it."

"Damnit, Rukia! But what if something happens? What if she _doesn't_ get better!" Ichigo's voice rang out. Orihime knew what look he was wearing, without even seeing it. He was afraid she was going to die, like his mother. She wanted to speak up, wanted to say: "I'm really okay, so don't worry about me." However someone else spoke just as she opened her mouth.

"I understand," Ishida said, silencing the argument. He turned to Orihime. "Don't sit up too quickly, or you'll get dizzy." His blue eyes were very soft, as he offered her his hand.

"Ichigo and I will go pack you some things, so sit down if you feel out of it again," Rukia said, patting her head. Ichigo needed to be dragged from the room, but Orihime was used to the sight and didn't bat her eyes at such an odd moment.

"I was worried about you, Inoue-san." She took his hand, feeling restless and uncomfortable being the only on lying about while everyone was so energetic and running around.

"T-thank you," She said, looking up. Her heart was racing, and she didn't know why. "For worrying about me."

"I don't think this is such a great idea. I'd rather Inoue stay here where we can watch her ourselves. Besides, if anything happens we have Dad here- I mean… we're a clinic! How much better can we get as a place for her to rest! Besides-"

"You're worried about her, aren't you? Well, if you really care about her you'll let her go. I'm completely serious, she needs a calm environment and a break from her usual routine. I'm sure Ishida will look after her, he seems to be very close to her."

"W-well, you're my class mate, of course I worry when you suddenly faint," He said, gently pulling her to sit up. He waited a moment, his hand lingering in hers. "Are you dizzy?"

"No, not at all," Inoue responded with surprise of her own. It was completely unlike being jerked forward by Kurosaki-kun earlier that day. He had lifted her slowly as to adjust. And his hand… it was full within her grasp. She had never had quite so much contact with the cautious young man.

"That… bothers me. Ishida shot me a dirty look today when I was talking to Inoue. He looked angry, but not in his usual hatred of me as a shinigami."

"Ichigo, calm down. She loves _you_, doesn't she?"

"You're very gentle," Inoue said, smiling. A blush crossed his cheeks like wildfire. He let go of her hand and adjusted his glasses to compose himself.

"Are you ready to stand up now?" He asked, changing the subject. She nodded cheerfully.

"Yeah… you're right. I'm being stupid. I was just afraid…"

"I know. But you'll see. She just needs a break. And then she'll come back to us and we can finally discuss it with her. Believe in her, like I believe in her. She isn't some doll. Even if she does harbour some feelings for Ishida, it'll just be a crush completely overrun by her love for you."

Even with Ishida's gentleness, with one hand on the small of her back to support her should she fall she felt a little awkward on her feet.

"Ah, Ishida-kun…" the red head suddenly said, as soft as a sigh. Her heart was beating so quickly, she couldn't stand it.

"I'm so lucky to have you Rukia. No one else would understand me so well."

"Don't get soft on me, Kurosaki. I'd hate if you disintegrated into some romantic lump of a man. You know Orihime-chan is the one who likes it more."

The scene Ichigo and Rukia walked in on could have been misinterpreted if they had been a second later. Luckily enough for them, they saw Inoue looking rather unsteady before latching onto a surprised Ishida Uryuu who nearly fell over himself.

"Ah! I'm so sorry Ishida-kun!" Inoue cried, trying to straighten herself out.

"You two ought to call a taxi if she's that unsteady on her feet," Ichigo said, hand behind head. He was grinning like an idiot. Rukia could almost see the mantra set to work in his thick head about Inoue. So he thought himself the real ladies' man, did he? She'd make sure to scare him up tonight with some heavily worded situations from romance manga to make him worry about it a little more.

"A-ah…" Ishida answered, unsure where his hands should be in such an odd moment. On the one hand, he could be supporting her arms more in her straightening effort but the slight contact of her hands against him were enough to overload his systems as it was. Besides, their peers were over there, watching.

"Don't worry about it, Ishida. I'll pay for it," Rukia said cheerfully. Ichigo looked at her suspiciously.

"How are you going to do that, free-loader?" He responded, his usual scowl deepening.

"Oh. Forgive me! Ichigo will be paying for it!" Rukia said, though it was clear she had planned it out from the beginning. He was about to argue with her about it when laughter as light as a child's filled the room. Looking up, he saw the rosy face of Orihime. He hadn't seen her laugh like that in two weeks. She had been pale, spaced out and generally not herself.

"Hn. Enjoy your vacation, Inoue."

**(A/N)**

I don't own Bleach. Complete Author's notes can be found at the end of chapter four as I just cut this up into chapters for reading comfort.


	3. Honey

They arrived at Ishida's, only for her to notice how late it was. She understood now why they had all worried about her. It was already dinner time. Ishida looked winded from having to carry her bag and be close to her in case she was unsteady again. So far she seemed alright.

"Ishida-kun?" She said as she crossed into the living room. He grunted in response as he dropped her things on the floor in front of the couch. "I was thinking, since its dinner time-"

"I'll be making it, Inoue-san," He said curtly. She was shocked by the directness of the response. He saw the look on her face, and then coughed into his fist to hide his embarrassment. "I promised Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki that I would make sure you rested."

"Ah… but…"

"But to pass time until dinner is ready, I'll let you work on this," He said, taking out the material for the doll she had been making earlier. She saw a flash of his personal sewing kit as she reached for the material, before it was once more out of her grasp. She looked at him in confusion. "However, you have to promise me that you'll be careful this time."

"I'll definitely be much more careful, Ishida-kun!" She said, nodding her head for emphasis. He lowered his hand and the material to her waiting hands. Before she could say much more, she found the personal sewing kit also in her hands and Ishida in the kitchen. She stared dumbly at the item. "Thank you Ishida!" He didn't respond. He was in the kitchen, nervously looking at the ingredients cupboard. Had he gone mad? He never let anyone use or touch his personal kit. It was his, arranged very carefully for efficiency.

Her joyful voice made it all worth it. She seemed genuinely happy for the first time in a while. As terribly odd it was, he felt a surge of masculine pride at being able to please her.

Orihime awoke to the sound of a cell phone in her bag ringing insistently. She had spent a peaceful night reading on the couch beside the silent Ishida, working on his own crafts before going to sleep. Being awoken to suddenly to noise was… odd. She answered groggily.

"H-hello?"

"Ah, good. It's you, Inoue."

"K-kurosaki-kun?" She yawned. "Do you need something?"

"Listen… I know Ishida probably doesn't have a guest room or much furniture, but… make sure he doesn't try to get on your side of the bed! Who knows what kind of perverted-"

"Bed? Kurosaki-kun, I'm sleeping on the couch." She could hear someone laughing gleefully in the background. There was a struggle, and then Rukia was on the phone.

"How are you feeling this morning, Inoue?"

"Much better, Kuchiki-san! I slept very well last night."

"Well, I imagine so. Ishida seems like the type to go to bed early," Rukia began to laugh as if she had said something funny, and heard Kurosaki stomping about. "Well, I ought to let you go as Ishida should be making you breakfast about now." As she closed the cell phone and put it back in the bag, she did notice there was the smell of food in the air. She had been wondering about what Kuchiki-san found so funny when her stomach intervened.

She stood and walked groggily towards the small kitchen and found Ishida was making a traditional breakfast in very large portions. It looked rather good. Leaning against the door frame and yawning, she felt a little under dressed for the occasion. Ishida was already dressed and ready to go, and here she was with her hair in odd angles with her ruffled pajama top that she swore used to fit once and shorts. The sound apparently startled Ishida, as he nearly jumped. He looked over at her, and turned quite a red colour before fixing his glasses (which in her opinion had been fine).

"Good morning Inoue-san. How did you sleep?" He asked, looking at the breakfast and not her. He didn't know how he was going to survive these next few days. Chizuru, in all her perverted sense was likely the only one who understood how adorable Inoue could be at all times. At least, he hoped it was an everyone thing and not some over developed "Orihime-vision".

"Great!" She chirped. The atmosphere was nice. It was like… it was like when her brother was still alive. Mind you, her brother was much more affectionate and talked a bit more. He suddenly pointed to the table.

"Go sit down and wait. I'll be finished soon," He said, hoping he sounded calm. His nerves hadn't stopped since last night. He couldn't sleep, as he wondered whether he should have let her use his bed and he sleep on the couch but the thought of the well developed creature sleeping in his bed would make it impossible to get any sleep. He might start getting sentimental ideas of Inoue staying here long-term, and his attachment was bad enough at the moment.

And then, of course, him wondering what she should make for breakfast. He knew she liked to eat in large portions, but was that only for lunch? And what if she didn't like breakfast? And why was he taking this all so seriously? He needed to calm down before he had a panic attack.

Orihime looked at the large serving of rice in front of her thoughtfully. It was significantly larger than his. He was watching intently, which mad her heart race for a moment. His gaze was so intense, so focused… she felt like melting under it. She took a large bit of rice with her chop sticks and ate it. Instead of the plain rice she expected, she found he had flavoured it with something… now what was it? She chewed thoughtfully. He was still watching. He hadn't touched his own yet. She swallowed.

"Ah! Its honey, isn't it?" She said pointing at the mountain of rice. "I didn't know you liked honey flavour in your rice." He finally looked back at his own bowl.

"Well… it's just yours, actually. Is it alright?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he thought he did. She didn't seem to notice.

"I love it! Ishida-kun knows me so well!" She said, unable to see the effect she was having on him by way of her view being blocked by the large bowl of rice in front of her.

Living with Inoue- no, scratch that- Inoue staying with him had to be the worst torture and yet best blessing that Ishida Uryuu had ever been given. She had yet to burst at the seems with lots of talking as she tended to do, but the view of her wandering around in her pajamas was a memory he was unsure he wanted to let go of.

The phone was ringing again. Someone kept calling Inoue every few hours, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know who it was as the conversations were always rather strange.

"Eh? But I eat from my own bowl. No, he isn't spoon feeding me. Alright, bye." After such a conversation, Ishida was now dying to know who was asking her such strange things on a regular basis.

"Inoue-san," He began, cautiously. He stopped sewing the baby blue purse in his lap. "Who keeps calling you and what in the world are they asking you?"

"Oh, it's just Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san," she responded boredly. "They keep asking strange questions like: 'Are Inoue and Ishida-kun taking baths together to save water?' 'Is Inoue sleeping in Ishida's room because he doesn't have a guest room?' 'Is Ishida gently hand feeding Inoue?' I honestly wonder what they're thinking."

The Quincy had gone rather still, the needle falling onto the purse. All of those scenarios sounded somehow degrading to him… and yet all came with excuses that Inoue would probably accept. He wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or just overwhelmed with the mental images. He began to regret agreeing to look after her. There was going to be a moment, he could foresee. A moment in which, he would be unable to remain a gentleman. It was getting harder and harder to tell himself that she was sick and he had to look after her as one does a sick person. She seemed hardly unwell since she arrived. Her weakness had subsided, and she was showing a lot of colour again.

Unfortunately for him, the moment came as awkwardly as did all his 'blissful' moments with the beautiful red head. She had been restless, couldn't sit still since the second night. He couldn't understand what it was at all but it definitely wasn't illness.

**(A/N)**

I don't own Bleach. Complete Author's notes can be found at the end of chapter four as I just cut this up into chapters for reading comfort.


	4. Princess

Orihime paced the hallway. She had tried going to sleep, and it had not worked. She wanted to play a game, anything that might use up all this extra energy she had. She had been babied by Ishida for far too long for her own good. She was used to doing all the chores for her own place, and now there was a void. At least, she hoped that was all that was going on.

When the silence felt like it was choking her, she finally broke down her own sense of common decency- and nearly Ishida's bedroom door as she bounded in like a bouncing rabbit. She stopped a few centimeters from the startled young man, grinning like always.

"Play with me!" She said rather bluntly. He looked at her like she was insane. The silence was unending. "Say something, at least!" His eyes darkened slightly, and it made her heart race. This was good at the moment because it beat being bored.

"Orihime," He said, speaking her first name. It sent electricity up her spine. This was good! Something was happening for once! She couldn't be bored with whatever he was about to say with such a serious face! She felt his hands rest on her shoulders, before his fingers worked their way down her arms so gently it made wherever they touched positively tingle. This was always the way he was. Feather light touch, there, but almost not there. It made her ache to reach out and make sure he wasn't just a ghost. "Those aren't words you should say to a man."

As he turned away, many things ran through her mind. The first, she hadn't noticed that his glasses weren't on until that moment. Second, his shirt was also missing and she had failed to notice that as well until his smooth back was to her. She wondered what it felt like. And then, the final realization of why she was so restless.

Ishida was sure she'd leave. Pack up and never come back. As much as that might hurt, it was best to take care of this now before she became even more important to him. Having her here had been a night mare. It was too easy to dream that she was here because she was his. They ate breakfast together, co-habitated and even if they weren't speaking, generally stuck near to one another. Sewing or reading on the couch was not sewing or reading unless she was there beside him, her quiet breathing setting the rhythm to his needle. He didn't need to finish the job quickly, because it would leave him with nothing to do and no reason to stay here by her side. So it was all for the best.

But Ishida Uryuu always knew he had the worst luck.

He felt her suddenly fling her arms around him and rest her cheek against the back of his neck. He really wished right about then that he'd been wearing a shirt and not changing for bed as he could so acutely feel where his form ended and where hers began.

"Ishida… would you… do that again? It feels like butterfly wings. Please?" He was silent, her soft breaths seeming a bit faster than normal. What was a Quincy to do? What would his grandfather advise?

"Uryuu…" She pleaded in a voice whose need was clear. All thoughts of his grandfather, advice and any logical thought left Ishida's mind. He removed her arms from around him, turned to her before bending to press his lips to hers.

Orihime awoke groggily, as usual. She was oddly… pleased. She was very warm. Not overheating, but warm. There was something hanging over her side, and she felt about for whatever it was to inspect. As first thought, it was indeed an arm. Not her own, of course, it wouldn't bend in such a strange way. It was warm, like her. That's how she realized it wasn't Ichigo. It didn't burn. It didn't make her heart twinge in her chest. She felt valued, protected. She was tempted to sleep again regardless of what was going on. A moment like this to calm her mind was exactly what she had needed. To feel loved, in her own right, to feel special and not like the third wheel. It was blissful.

"Orihime?" The arm was trying to get away. She grabbed it quickly, and pulled the hand to her face like a comfort object.

"Hush, you'll make the good dream go away," She murmured. Then the voice finally registered as he sighed.

"Orihime, I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have done that."

"Then you can be sorry for the both of us."

"Huh?"

"Because I'm not sorry at all, Ishida Uryuu." She was sure she sounded like she was babbling, but she was too happy for anyone to ruin this moment for her.

"You'll be sorry when you wake up with no breakfast because you won't let me have my arm," He responded, a smile in his voice. She groaned.

"Don't be silly. I'm sure you can manage to make it with one arm." She begrudgingly let go as she felt him lightly kissing her temple to appease her. He really did know her too well.

Before the warm morning could continue for Inoue, the cell phone rang. She pulled the sheets around her before jogging into the living room to fish around for it.

"Hello!" She said exuberantly. The day was beautiful and breakfast was sure to be lovely. She felt happiness bursting from her very being.

"Inoue, you sound healthy today." Her heart fell where she was standing.

"K-kurosaki-san? What's wrong?"

"Does something need to be wrong for me to call you?"

"Well, no but… you call a lot. It would be nice to sleep in a little."

"Do you want me to call back later?"

"Well, if you think it's necessary…"

"Necessary? Inoue… I don't understand. What's wrong with you this morning?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just tired."

"I hope so. Don't forget, Rukia and I wanted to discuss something with you tonight when you get back from Ishida's."

"…Ah. I'd almost forgotten. Well then, I'll see you then." She hung up the phone before he could say more. She didn't want to hear any more. Why did she have to wake up from her beautiful dream? She didn't know what to do. She was afraid. She wanted to hide.

Ishida looked up from the rice maker with a frown on his face. There was no way this would be ready in time. He'd need to make something to stave them off until later. Toast, perhaps? He heard her breathing, as if it were his own and saw her in the doorway. She was still wrapped in the bed sheets.

"Were Kurosaki and Kuchiki-san asking you strange things again?" He asked, wondering if she had finally answered 'yes' to one of their perverted inquiries. The look on her face was very upset for the moment. He worried. He stood up straight, as if examining her face would give him some essential clue to what was wrong. The sight of the bed sheets being brought along as her attire made it seem as though she were a bird flying into his arms.

"Uryuu. Just hold me, okay?" He wondered what power she held over him. But his name seemed to be the key. He could refuse her nothing when she called him that.

Ishida didn't ask what was bothering her that morning, but did hope she'd tell him before she left. But she didn't. She really was going to kill him one of these days. He'd never worried about someone so much in his life. But as she gave him a timid kiss on the cheek before he left, he had to wonder if there were benefits to be reaped from such worry.

When Inoue arrived back at the Kurosaki residence to have this "talk" with Rukia and Ichigo, her face was grave. She had, indeed, returned to normal health which had out the colour back into her face but it was her expression that caused more alarm to the orange headed shinigami. They led her to the table where dinner was being set up, and made her the guest of honour. As the time grew on, Ichigo found that he was becoming more and more paranoid. It used to make her so happy to be here with his crazy family. She'd even laugh at the strangeness of their random fights. But instead, she merely played with her food (and didn't actually eat more than a bite, he noted) and looked dazed. Like she wanted to be elsewhere. What he was most afraid of, was that he was right.

"Inoue-san! You look so much healthier now," Rukia said, hugging her once they had retreated upstairs after dinner. "I guess we owe Ishida more credit from now on." Ah, that name. It made her drift off again. She wondered what he was doing now. Would he be finishing that purse? Or perhaps-

In reality, Ishida was out taking a walk when he happened to pass Tatsuki throwing rocks into the river. Convinced it was none of his business, he was going to move on however she suddenly spoke.

"Oi. How is Orihime-chan? I heard she fainted."

"She's much better now. Kurosaki's dad said she just needed rest."

"Listen… I'm worried about her. She said something odd a little while ago, and I didn't even take it into consideration. What relationship do you think there is between Kurosaki, Kuchiki and Orihime-chan? Don't you think they've all been acting a little odd?"

"Orihime-chan!" Rukia called impatiently. She was unused to the girl drifting off so much on them. She looked at the two of them.

"Huh? Were you saying something?" She asked, blushing. She hadn't meant to do that. They looked rather disappointed.

"We had just gotten to the most important part of our discussion," Rukia said, watching her as though she had a tail.

"Which was?" Inoue said, trying to catch up.

"We were thinking…" Ichigo began, looking at Rukia.

"That you might consider moving in. I mean, you do live alone, and everyone here would love to have you around. Ichigo's father really likes the idea, as you know he was always very accepting of our 'special relationship'" Rukia finished.

"Move… in?" She looked at them like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Inoue? What's wrong? You don't want to?" Ichigo asked, reaching out to take her hand. It burned. No, more than that. Today, it was scalding. She recoiled from him, crouching like an attacked animal.

"I…"

Ishida's eyes were wide open by the end of the conversation. So… that had been what was on Inoue's mind that morning. Had she… been afraid to go back? He was now sitting on the grass beside Tatsuki.

"… I see. It must have been very hard on her, trying to be happy when she was in such a position. Especially since Kurosaki was always in love with Kuchiki-san," He remarked. He stood up, and brushed off his pants.

"But you can't really blame Kurosaki-san, Orihime-chan reminds him of his mom in a strange way so as long as he has her it's like he's re-living his happiest days."

"I can blame him. Using Orihime like that is wrong. He could have broken her beyond repair that way."

"What are you…? Huh? Where are you going?" Tatsuki saw him walking away. He didn't turn when he answered.

"I have a princess to save." She stared after the figure in confusion. For one, since when did he start calling Orihime-chan by her first name? And for another, wasn't he gay?

When they heard a knock on the door, Ichigo ran to answer it like his life depended on it.

"Inoue!" He yelled, opening it. Unfortunately, the person on the other side was not the beautiful red head but an annoyed Quincy.

"Where is Orihime?" He asked bluntly. The look in his eyes was… dangerous. Rukia stepped into the door frame beside him. He knew. That much, she could tell.

"We asked her to move in, but she burst into tears and left with all her stuff," Rukia answered, examining his reaction.

"She said she had somewhere else she was moving into so she wouldn't be living alone anymore. Do you know what she was talking about, Ishida?" Ichigo asked.

"You're a great idiot, Kurosaki. But you can't hit a blind man for not seeing your favourite colour," Ishida responded. Ichigo stared at him for a few moments. This was making some dots connect, but he wasn't sure where he was going with it.

"I thought as much," Rukia said, smiling at the protective gleam in his eye. This had turned out much better than she had hoped. She knew, as a woman knows, that something was wrong. She saw the subtle hints, the sadness in Inoue's eyes and the way she no longer stayed the night. It had been breaking Rukia's heart. She really did care for Inoue as a good friend, and she had known there had to be a way to save her dense friend before Ichigo destroyed her with his selfish blindness. "However, I'm not as honourable as you, Quincy. I can hit a blind man. Especially when he can see."

Without another word, Ichigo found himself on the painful end of Rukia's backhand slap- which was quite powerful.

"You two make a good couple," He said, before stoically leaving (as was his custom).

He found her just where he thought he would. Bawling her eyes out surrounded by bags of clothing in front of his door.

"Orihime-chan, don't cry," He said, making her look up. "Shouldn't you be unpacking?"

**(A/N)**

I don't own Bleach. If I did, I would have paired Inoue with everyone just for kicks.

Yeah, I wrote this at between the hours of 11PM and 6AM. I keep wondering if this ought to be something better suited to in case I need to cut out parts for the sake of the rating. I'm kind of worried it's a little over the top for fanfiction, but I don't usually write this sort of stuff. I've been reading too much Ishihime fanfics, clearly.

But worry not! I'm going back to my Ouran idea, and hopefully to finish some of my fanfics. This began as a one-shot in order to avoid leaving it unfinished like many of my fanfics. Which, of course, led me to write for eight hours and not sleep.

Please review, if only to show me that losing sleep was worth it.


	5. Godfather

Inoue sighed. It was raining. Oh, she just detested rainy days! She opened her grey eyes, glancing around the room. The sky was a very plain cloudy thing with the exception of the dark clouds storming as hard as they could nearby. She looked slyly over at the alarm clock, wondering if she'd have a chance this morning. She lifted her hand slowly, ever so slowly, from her stomach where it had been captured. She struggled to swallow a giggle, the breathing above her head was calm and steady. All signs were clear.

"Don't even think about it."

"Aw... you were awake?" Orihime complained, sighing like a child who had almost taken a forbidden candy before dinner. Though now that she thought about it, Ishida _had_ done that to her last week. It was a simple piece of toffee, that's all! And before it reached her mouth, it was back in its wrapper and under the protective custody of a certain Quincy until she ate the dinner he so precarilously made. Honestly, the man was all tradition! She tried to resist the urge to pout, as she knew what happened when she pouted. But then again, he couldn't see her face, now could he? Well, then again, Orihime couldn't even use that anymore. Living here had made him so intuitive about her expressions that he didn't even need to hear her tone of voice. It scared her sometimes, how well he had pieced together their world and kept everyone else out of it.

"Orihime-chan, it's time to get up," He reminded her, running a hand through her hair before turning off the alarm clock over her. Now that he was up on his right elbow, he stared ominously at a pile of laundry in her corner of the room. He wasn't sure how she managed to makes messes everywhere, but her adeptness at it baffled him. He was as adept at cleaning it, however, and wondered what horrors would have awaited any other man who wanted to marry his hime. It took precision, an attention to detail and a keen understanding of exactly which rooms she used to keep up with it.

"But it's raining..." She said, still not getting up. She decided that it was necessary to take out the big guns, as Tatsuki would say. She pouted, ever so slightly before letting it pass through her lips like a sultry whisper. "Uryuu...". Ishida groaned, half in irritation and half in the pleasure he never stopped feeling. She wasn't allowed to call him that at school or when they were out, especially not like that, because she had come to know that it involved getting dragged home under the pretenses of being sick to anyone who asked. Though Ichigo and Rukia only stared at them, the same thought running through their minds: 'Again?'

Rukia and Ichigo were doing well, Orihime was happy to say. Though the two stared at Ishida and her a lot and asked how they got anything done. It became a boon to Ishida, she noted, that they had somehow surpassed Rukia and Ichigo. It didn't need to be said, it was just so blatantly obvious by the looks on their faces every time Orihime felt rather tender and would call him Uryuu by accident.

"You're going to be sorry, 'hime," Ishida said in an almost frightening voice. It sent shivers throughout her, but not the bad ones. That was the voice that tipped her off. Which, by its sound, made anyone get out of their way during those interesting moments at school. She felt light kisses brushing up her shoulder, soundless and they might have gone unfelt had her skin not been so sensitive at the sound of his voice.Her breath hitched as he reached her neck.

"W-why?" She asked, closing her newly opened eyes. She let out a small puff of air.

"You're having toast for breakfast."

And so, much later, Ishida and Orihime were found at the breakfast table eating toast and some left overs from dinner. While Ishida could go on just two pieces of toast until lunch, Orihime could not. Ishida was careful to make larger dinners for that very purpose. Of course, sometimes he would have to go out and come back to find she'd eaten all of the the left-overs in the fridge while watching some ridiculous program.

That was something else that had appeared with Orihime in his quiet apartment. A television. He had no affection for it, and didn't even possess a radio until she came. Then she brought all her noisy appliances and machines with her, leaving him to make sure they were maintained. Looking back on what he liked to call his "Pre-Orihime Apartment", he wondered what he did with all that spare time. But he felt pleasantly fulfilled every time Tatsuki would remark that the red head seemed well cared for as of late, and about how clean the apartment was.

"We might be late," Orihime commented airily.

"You only thought of that now?" He responded plainly.

"Well I thought I could convince you to stay home today because of the rain," She said, sweatdropping. He arched one eyebrow at her, before speaking.

"Orihime... today is our graduation ceremony..." He pointed out. She stared at him, blank. A few minutes passed before her eyebrows heightened and she looked hesitant.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

----

"You're late," whispered Rukia as Orihime took a seat beside her in the auditorium. She nodded, before laughing nervously in a quiet voice.

"Sorry Kuchiki-san... were you worried?" She asked, smiling.

"Nah, we weren't worried," interrupted Ichigo, arms crossed and looking away like a tempermental child before Rukia whacked him roughly. He did this once in a while, acting up whenever he thought Ishida and her were being too intimate in public. He really did seem like a child sometimes, upset that his favourite toy was taken away. And what was worse was that Ishida used this to his advantage whenever they were fighting for some sort of dominance.

"Don't be ridiculous Ichigo... they wouldn't be doing such things so early in the morning!" Rukia commented impatiently.

"Huh? Why not in the morning?" Orihime asked, confusion clearly written on her innocent face. Rukia and Ichigo looked at her as though she had just proclaimed she was Aizen in disguise before proceeding to eat a monkey while hanging upside down from a tree branch. Which, was safe to say, was a very shocked expression. "Is there some sort of curse? Oh no! What's going to happen to us?"

"Hush Orihime, you're going to get in trouble," Tatsuki said, turning to face her friend. She nodded, leaving Rukia and Ichigo with completely dead looks on their faces. She took note of the warning and stopped any conversation, oblivious to the distress of the small shinigami and her substitute.

---

Ishida and Orihime stood in front of the door to their shared apartment, Ishida letting her search through her pockets for a moment before finding his own with efficiency and speed and handing them to her. He very well knew she'd left her keys on the counter again this morning, and hoped she wouldn't make this a bad habit in the future. She was going to get herself locked out. He made a mental note to make a copy of the key for Tatsuki in such a case.

"Welcome home," Orihime said, planting a soft kiss on Ishida's cheek as she turned the key. It seemed difficult, but it had become a daily ritual that she insisted on doing. Something about making it 'homey'. That and something about a monkey extermination spell Tatsuki had told her to quell her fears about her laundrey being comandeered by said baboons in a rage that Ishida was keeping them clean and organized. He was still unsure where these things came from.

"I'm home," He answered solemnly. She squealed at his seriousness, before turning the door knob and opening it.

The pair stopped, frozen and staring in disbelief at their peaceful apartment. It was filled with Soul Society friends and the gang, all roaming about and setting up some sort of cake. Ichigo passed the door, and then looked at them.

"Well don't just stop and stare, come in!" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't need you to say that, it's _our_ apartment, Kurosaki," Ishida said, the fighting beginning between the two. Orihime shook her head, and entered the apartment.

Inoue noticed with no small amusement that Zaraki-taichou, Yumichika and Ikkaku had not failed in showing up though it clearly wasn't their scene. The red head searched about with her eyes for the small pink haired fukutaichou only to be nearly knocked over by a pink blur.

"Y-yachiru-chan..." She said, struggling under the giggling creature. "How are you?"

"Everyone misses you from our squad, you should visit!"

"A-ah... why is everyone here, by the way?"

"That's easy! There's something called a... a... g-gradation?" Yachiru answered. "Well anyway, we're all here to celebrate!"

"Well, Ishida-kun and I are very happy to see you all again looking so healthy!" She responded happily once Yachiru had gotten off her.

"Hn? The boy with glasses?" Zaraki commented, looking surprised. Orihime nodded. "You mean... you're living with him?" The red head felt that this was going in a very strange direction but was unable to stop it.

"Yes, well... living with someone else is much more fun than living alone, right?" She rationalized. Zaraki watched warily before speaking again.

"I see.Be careful, Orihime-chan," He responded uncharacteristically. Yachiru appeared sitting on one broad shoulder, grinning.

"Ken-chan is trying to say he wants to be the godfather!" Yachiru interrupted cheerfully. Orihime stared, feeling like a fish out of water.

"Uh... what?" She responded, half in shock. "I'm not having a baby..."

"You aren't?" Zaraki asked. Orihime finally figured out why he had been saying such odd things to her earlier. Who had told him that...? "Yachiru... what have I told you about lying...?"

"But Ken-chan! You could still be a godfather when Orihime-chan _does_ have a baby! She's already said yes!" Yachiru argued.

"Huh... when did... wha?" Orihime stuttered, trying to make a coherent thought.

"Oi! Why didn't you ask me? You certainly chase me around often enough," Ichigo piped up, suddenly listening in on the conversation. He was jealous, as usual.

"Ah, Ichigo! There you are, I've been looking for you-" Zaraki never finished.

"Why didn't you ask to be godfather of my kids, huh? Is there something better about some Quincy's offspring that I don't know about?" Ichigo continued the tirade, obviously still in argument mode from Ishida, who had now entered the conversation. Zaraki looked at Ichigo before slowly nodding.

"Orihime-chan's baby will probably be cuter than your's. You're strong, Ichigo, but you really don't know how taichou's mind works," Yumichika said, flipping his hair. "Taichou was probably thinking about having Orihime's baby around so it has a lot of practice healing once it inherits Hime-chan's powers."

"In other words you're looking for a personal nurse?" Ichigo said with a sweat drop.

"Well if you think about it-"

"Ahem It could be a Quincy too, you know," Ishida inserted pointedly.

Chad fainted nearby, imagining Ishida as a large chested girl as if that were exactly how the child might look (much like how he remembered Ichigo's sister) and finding another horrible image to try and forget.

"Oh my..." Orihime commented from the side lines.

---

"So let me get this straight. His entire squad had decided to be the godfathers?" Ishida asked later that evening as he sat up in bed, not reading the book in hand.

"I suppose so. But I hadn't thought about kids, I was so distracted by school and just living with you," Orihime commented, lounging comfortably with her head on his shoulder. "Do you want one though? I guess no one even asked you that. I mean, I understand if things with your father have made it a little hard for you to think about it."

"Someday, Orihime... when I've got a steady job and I can support a family. I'm not so stupid as to rush into things without planning for something so important like Kurosaki might," He said, the shine of his glasses hiding his eyes. "But there has to be one Quincy, or else I'll never hear the end of it from Kurosaki."

"Oh... well... I thought it might be nice to have two Quincy... you know, so that one won't feel so lonely," Orihime said, looking over at him. He was smiling. That was his Orihime, always thinking of strange things and then catching him offguard with something very sentimental. He put the book away, and wrapped one arm around her to move her displaced head against his shoulder once more.

"You're thinking too far ahead, Orihime-chan," he chastised half-heartedly, lifting her chin with one finger. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, thanking whatever deity existed for the thousandth time that he had been given this healing creature. With her, he could find the heart to forgive his father, because for a moment he could almost understand him for the first time in his life. Orihime blushed at the affectionate gesture, once more inwardly touched by his gentle nature and the way he could show his affection independently as well as combined with lust. She could ask for nothing more. Well... except for maybe whatever would keep that morning curse Kuchiki-san was talking about from taking effect and-

"Right now, it's just us. That's enough."

And Orihime knew he was right.

**(A/N)**

Ummm... yeah, I know. The last chapter was supposed to be the end, but I just couldn't say no when RedBloodedTalisman asked so nicely. Man, I'm a push over. But yeah, I hope this was what you were looking for to feel that fluffy closure and a sort of look into their new life together. My excuse is that this is an epilogue and that everyone who has an alert on this story will be (hopefully) pleasantly surprised when they receive notification by e-mail. Now, I might as well respond to the reviewers here.

**TIFFB:** Thank you so much! As the first reviewer to get rid of my fears that this would all be a wasted effort and assure me, I'll let you in on the secret that I almost cried because I was so happy that someone had said those words to me: "This was absolutely worth your time".

**Negative Gemini:** Thanks! I hope that you'll check out Obscureanimewriter's (or something like that) stuff on the c2 community "The thread that binds" if you like my stuff.

**anon: **Sorry about that, but I wanted to do some experimenting with style and keep the reader on their feet during that part. I think if I had spaced it out a little more it would have been easier without losing the technique I wanted to try. In this chapter I used the breaks that I played with in my random funny Chad/Orihime fanfic PETS. Just for you! ;)

**amystery:** Thank you! It means so much to me that I'm getting a wonderful review from an IchiOri fan! I'm tempted to write an IchiOri drabble just to thank you for that. :)

**RedBloodTalisman:** Well, here it is! Though, I'm very sorry if this came out a little more rated M than I meant to but it was how I began the fanfic so... I tried to make it fluffy for you though and keep the scenes non-graphic for the younger readers sneaking a peak at this. Though I'm a little worried I'm going to have to move my stuff over to adult pretty soon. You know how strict is about the young reader's policy.


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